The Johor State Anthem (Malay: Lagu Bangsa Johor), which was composed by Armenian bandmaster Mackertich Galistan Abdullah, had no official lyrics until 1914 when a staff member of the Hong Kong Bank in Johor Bahru, Hubert Allen Courtney, wrote the first English words and Haji Mohamed Said Hj. Sulaiman rewrote it in Malay. It was adapted from the famous Malay tune Dondang Sayang and officially approved and adopted by Sultan Ibrahim in 1897.